Housing and Public Works Minister Zakaria Taher Sumon said July fighters risked their lives during the 2024 mass uprising and “freed Bangladesh once again.” He made the remarks on Saturday afternoon as chief guest at a July Mass Uprising Day discussion meeting at Cumilla Town Hall field, organized by Cumilla South District BNP. He said the sacrifice should be carried not only in words but also in actions and hearts, and called for building the Bangladesh envisioned by the movement’s participants.

The minister paid tribute to those killed for the country’s freedom and people’s liberation in 1971, 1990 and 2024. He urged those present to pledge that the martyrs’ sacrifices would not be allowed to go in vain. He said the country had been battered by 15 years of misrule and asserted that it could recover if people supported the prime minister from their respective positions.

Addressing families of those killed in Cumilla’s uprising, Sumon said they would receive the same facilities available through his ministry to other martyr families. He asked families that had not received any government-declared benefit to contact authorities so their rightful entitlements could be provided. Cumilla-6 MP Chowdhury, the meeting’s main speaker, also said the sacrifices of July would not be forgotten.